“Your information is correct,” Jarvis said, “Though few off-worlders know of the chamber. We have been deceived to the point of great suffering in the past. Now, all important negotiations, even amongst our own planetary governors, are held in the Chamber.”
Helena leveled her stare at the ambassador and said, “My people have a saying: ‘To go through life without trust is to imprison oneself in the most lonely of cells.’”
Jarvis smiled and appeared unfazed. “We believe trust must be earned,” he said. “Your quarters, My Lady.”
He opened the door to a luxurious room adorned with silver furniture and the orange, purple, and black Human flag as accent draperies and upholstery. Helena immediately recognized a painting of her homeworld Antares above the spacious bed. Water trickled from a natural looking waterfall on one side of the room.
“This room is reserved for leaders of other civilizations,” Jarvis said. “We hope you find it adequate.”
Helena nodded, “This is quite lovely, thank you Ambassador.”
“Your guards can take residence in the adjoining rooms to either side with as much or as little surveillance as you wish. Desiree will be your housekeeper,” Jarvis said as he motioned to a young Human woman in his entourage. “She will get you anything you need and explain the workings of the suite.”
Desiree stepped forward and bowed her head.
“Now, I’ll let you get settled,” Jarvis said. “I have duties to attend, but tomorrow we will meet and conduct our preliminary talks. There is much I wish to learn about your world and people.”
“Until tomorrow, Ambassador,” Helena said.
The Human contingent moved away, leaving only Desiree.
“Would you mind waiting in the hallway for a moment, my dear?” Helena said to the Human girl.
Desiree smiled and said, “Of course not. I will be waiting here.”
Helena and the praetorians entered the suite. Within seconds, her guards were sweeping the room while appearing casual and curious. Helena sat in the center of the space and closed her eyes. Claudia taught her an empathic trick a few years ago and Helena hoped she could duplicate her success in the past.
Tuning out the movements of the praetorians, Helena focused on the falling water. Each drop was filtered through her ears and she absorbed the room. Her guards were nervous, but Helena needed to dig deeper, to before her arrival. What went on here? What did the Humans plant for listening devices? Helena tried to sense strong lingering emotions of the past, but her efforts were fruitless. If anything was dangerous about this room, Helena’s skill was not enough to detect it.
Returning to her present mind, Helena opened her eyes.
“My Lady,” Duronious said. “There is surveillance equipment, but it appears to be tied with the adjoining room so we could keep watch. I don’t know who else would be watching if we activated it, however.”
“That is fine,” Helena said. “Just keep your senses on alert. You should be able to detect surprise, fear or pain from your room. Standard watch rotation with hourly checks should be adequate.”
“Anything else for now, My Lady? The sun is still high.” Duronious said, speaking in Antaran military code. He was concerned about the Chamber of Truth and the Human girl, Desiree.
Responding in code, Helena said, “The sun is high, yes, however I believe the night will be uneventful. I wish to listen to some songs on my datapad. Ask the girl about refreshments and fall into whatever rooms you feel are best to protect me.” Though the last part wasn’t code, Helena relayed her need to know more about the Chamber. Her datapad carried all the accumulated wisdom of her people. Perhaps a study in harmonics would lead her in the right direction.
Duronious saluted the ‘danger’ salute indicating he wouldn’t rest until he was comfortable with the Antaran heir’s safety. The praetorians filtered from the room and Helena stopped Vespill with a gesture. The praetorian approached, gave the same salute as Duronious, and waited.
“Praetorian, how are your wounds?”
Vespill said, “I feel strong, My Lady. Your healing skills have brought me from the brink of darkness.”
More worship. If her people survived this gambit, Helena decided she needed to speak with her father over the religion he created. She wasn’t divine.
“It pleases me to see you back on duty,” Helena said. “Dismissed.”
“My Lady.”
Alone once more, Helena sat on her bed with her datapad. She keyed in her security code and adjusted the display to only be visible for her eyes. Harmonics was a massive topic. Though she employed harmonic principles to control her voice and sometimes read another’s voice, Helena was unfamiliar with much of the science. The day was shaping to be a long one.
Chapter 12
“I heard from Admiral Stugardt that you liked the salad,” Nathan said, “so I thought this might be a good place to try.”
Everyone at the small, dark restaurant gaped when Helena first entered. These Humans, though close to the embassy, weren’t accustomed to alien visitors.
“No more greasy food for you, I think,” Nathan said.
Helena invisibly winced at the memory of the cheeseburger. “No, indeed,” she said, remaining aloof despite her burning interest in this particular Human.
“So,” Nathan said, his mind buzzing with questions, “ever think you’d be on Terra?”
Helena shook her head. “Most definitely not.”
He studied her face as she spoke and watched her hands and she manipulated her fork. A quick scan of his mind told her that the interest was mutual. That would only make things more difficult.
“What’s your favorite color?” he blurted.
Helena blinked. “What?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “I’m just trying to make conversation. It’s been pretty one-sided so far.”
Helena placed her fork on the table and met his warm, brown eyes. “I apologize,” she said. “My mind is focused on my mission.” She omitted the fact that she required all of her strength to not ask him the many questions she wanted to ask.
“That’s understandable,” he said, though Helena was only half listening. “You’re far from home with people who have caused you great pain. I’m sure you miss your sisters…”
Her mind bounced between her desire at intimacy with the captain and her immediate duties on Terra. She couldn’t decipher the logical reason for her internal conflict and that only frustrated her further.
“Blue!” Helena said. Her thoughts were in complete disarray when she was with him.
Nathan paused. “What?”
“My favorite color is blue.”
“Oh,” Nathan said as a smile stole across his face. “So is mine. Midnight blue, to be exact. The color of the night sky over the ocean is something I miss terribly.”
“In my culture,” she said, “blue represents peace, harmony, confidence, fidelity and strength. Though I must admit, I was drawn to the color even before I knew these things.”
“On Terra, blue represents honesty and royalty,” he said.
Helena reined her emotions tight before they could be exposed. Honesty. Would she ever know the word again? Her weave of lies had just begun and she was already sickened by it.
Desperate to distance herself from the word honesty, Helena said, “You live near an ocean?”
“Yes.”
“I have seen pictures of oceans in our history books,” she said.
“You mean, you don’t have oceans on Antares?”
“No, we do not,” she said. “Yet we believe our terraforming efforts will be able to produce large bodies of water within the next several generations.”
“Wow,” he said, “I didn’t know.”
“As a child, I remember asking my mother about these oceans,” Helena said. “She told me that the power of the tides is one of the most primal and amazing forces in the universe. How she knew this, I am uncertain as she never left Antares either.”
“
Well, maybe we’ll get the chance to show you the oceans here on Terra,” he said.
She smiled. “I would like that.”
After an awkward pause, Nathan said, “What else? What about your sisters? Are you all close?”
Helena sensed his arousal when his mind wandered to Marcella. She couldn’t fault him. Her sister was radiant beyond poems or pictures.
“I am close to my sisters,” she said as she suppressed her longing to see them again. “Especially Terentia, the youngest. When our mother died, I was left to raise her from an infant. She is very special to me.”
“I’m sorry,” he said, uncomfortable with the topic.
“Thank you, Captain,” she said, “but that was a long time ago. My mother’s memory is one filled with joy and warmth. There is no need for mourning any longer.”
He nodded and Helena marveled at how quickly he was able to disseminate information and adapt to new circumstances. His mind was more impressive than she first gave credit for.
“Of course,” she said, resuming the previous topic, “our family is not without its troubles. You witnessed Valeria’s wrath first hand on Antares.”
Nathan nodded. “I remember. She was a little angry at dinner that night, but I understand why.”
“It goes deeper than that,” she said, unsure why she was so loose with her tongue. “I sensed the same feelings from Captain Knowles onboard the Venture. He was jealous of your command position, yes?”
Nathan frowned. “Yeah, something like that.”
“Valeria suffers from that same pride. If she is not in command, then you must watch your every step for she will expose your faults. It is a constant struggle. One that should remain behind our palace walls. I do not know why I feel comfortable talking to you about such things.”
Nathan grinned. “Sounds like normal Human problems…”
Helena tapped his hand and felt Goosebumps erupt across her skin in response to the touch. “Please don’t insult us,” she said playfully. “We are not susceptible to Human weaknesses.”
Before he moved, Helena sensed his desire to grasp her hand. Though she could have pulled away, she allowed his advance. He caught her hand and turned it over as his eyes followed the blue Gima tattoos which wrapped around her fingers and palm.
“What do these mean?” he asked.
Helena considered telling him about the meaning and discipline behind the markings. However, she decided she needed to maintain her upper hand in her dealings with not only the captain, but the Humans as well. This was one secret he would have to wonder about.
“I am sorry,” she said, “but I cannot tell you.”
Nathan leaned towards her and her breath caught in her throat. “Why not?” he asked. “And why don’t they smudge?” He ran his finger over the back of her palm.
Too close, she cautioned herself. She pulled her hand from his and said, “You are not Antaran.”
“There’s no other way for me to know?” he said, his mind aware of her deception. He knew she was holding back. Was she that readable?
Instead of correcting her mistake, she revealed the truth of the secret. “There is only one alternative. We would have to be wed to one another.”
Nathan leaned backwards and said, “Well, I guess you leave me no alternative-”
Falling into his trap willingly, she said, “And what is that?”
“I must now make my own assumptions as to their meaning,” he said.
Damn, he was good. He sensed one of Helena’s weaknesses – her need to portray herself exactly as she desired. Her unwillingness to convey the meaning behind her markings would only be in jeopardy if she was misunderstood, and he just told her that he was left to his own whims of misinterpretation. Enough play, she scolded herself. This Human was too dangerous. She was too readable and too vulnerable when she was with him.
“Okay,” she said. “You win this round, so now we’re even?”
He raised his eyebrows. “Even?”
“Well,” she said, “I beat you in chess and now you defeated me in this. I will tell you what these markings mean.”
“No victory against you is a small one,” he said. “I’m sweating here.” He wiped his brow and the back of his neck with his napkin.
“Indeed, you should be proud of yourself,” she said.
“Believe me, I am!”
“Very well then. The markings on my hand represent discipline. If they move out of place while I am working towards my task, another Antaran would recognize my fault and correct me. At all times, my hands must remain steady on their course. They must not waver.”
“Why only you and your family?” he said. “I noticed other Antarans weren’t wearing the tattoos.”
“Very perceptive, Captain,” she said. “The royal family is in service to the Antaran people. We wear these marks so our people can scrutinize our actions. If we allow ourselves to be driven from our course, then the people will recognize the fluctuations on our faces and with our hands. They will recognize, and they will call for accountability. We must always be in control, always on the best path for our people. It has been our way since we settled Antares. And we have upheld this tradition.”
“Amazing,” he said. “So, the royal family is not above the people? I always thought monarchy was absolute rule, no room for democracy.”
“Do not misunderstand, Captain,” she said. “The people have the power to watch and observe us, but any change must come from us. If I am told by a citizen that my actions are not in the best interest of my people, then I feel a great responsibility to change. My duty is to my people and they know this. They will trust that I will change and that is how our system works.”
Nathan digested the information and said, “What about a despot? What if one of you weren’t able to change? How would your people react to that?”
“I’m sorry, Captain, but that is not possible.”
“Humor me,” he said, “and please, call me Nathan.”
Her heart felt as if it was struck by a jolt of electricity. She sensed he wanted to be closer to her and that was a very tempting flame.
“Okay, Nathan,” she said. “A leader acting for him or herself would be removed.” Helena considered telling him the story of Queen Valeria, but she decided she had already spoken too much.
“Removed by who?”
Helena waved her hand. “Does all of this really interest you?”
Nathan smiled. “Can’t you just read my mind to know that it does?”
She sensed he was more fascinated in her than Antaran politics. “I sense interest,” she said.
A device on Nathan’s belt beeped and he examined the screen. Annoyed, he said, “I have to go… I am very sorry.”
As they rose from their table, Helena caught his arm and said, “Next time, we talk about you.”
“Is that a request or an order?” he asked.
Helena smiled and cursed herself for her transparent emotions. “Do not mistake any of my orders for requests, Nathan Connor. Of course it is an order.”
“So,” he said, enjoying the exchange, “there will be a next time?”
“Have I said no to you yet?”
Nathan frowned. “I’m sure it’s coming one of these days.”
Chapter 13
“Everything was lost?” Ambassador Jarvis asked between mouthfuls of his omelet.
“Well, most everything,” Helena said, taking only small bites of the Human food. Though the salads agreed with her stomach, the heavier Human fare violently didn’t.
The balcony overlooked a wide plaza with many docks where space faring vessels came and went throughout much of the breakfast. Light shimmered from the calm lake to the south. Birds soared in the sky and Helena marveled at how far the Humans had brought their terraforming technology.
The Human Ambassador seemed less rushed than he was yesterday. Helena scanned his recent memories enough to learn that this was his first major assignment. That suited her. Let them send a rooki
e as that made Helena’s job easier.
“When the first ship landed on Antares, our people did not think it would be the only ship. The remaining settlement ships hit a storm in the atmosphere and were destroyed.”
“How many people settled the first colony?”
“According to our records, only about six hundred,” Helena said as she sipped her green tea. At least this drink was similar to the one from her homeworld. “We pieced together our past from the scant histories left to us – mostly religious and government texts from an ancient empire. We have strived to imitate that model.”
“Yes, yes,” Jarvis had donned his spectacles and he reviewed some paperwork. “My information tells me your government is a Dynastic Aristocracy.”
“True,” Helena said. “My father, the emperor, rules as the final voice. However, the everyday decisions of state are left to the aristocrats who are trained for governing and policymaking.”
“Very interesting.”
“I understand the Human government is a democracy,” Helena said.
“Indeed,” Jarvis said. “The people rule here.”
“With so many planets, you don’t find this type of government cumbersome?”
“The Human people value freedom above all else,” Jarvis said. “The ability to elect whomever they wish to govern them is one of our most basic freedoms.”
“Would you hire a poet to fix your computer systems?” Helena asked.
“What?”
“It is a simple question, Ambassador. I just wish to learn more about your democracy.”
“Um,” Jarvis said, “no, of course I wouldn’t hire a poet for that job.”
“Then, tell me, why hire someone untrained in rulership to govern you?”
“I think untrained is a tad strong,” Jarvis said. “Our candidates rise from the ranks of our most intelligent and influential groups – scientists, lawyers, regional governors-”
“Entertainers?” Helena asked, pleased her trap sprung so easily.
For Duty (Antaran Legacy Book 1) Page 9